Somehow I got sucked into the last half of a major “Star Trek” marathon.
“
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”
This used to be my top favorite Trek film (then decided that “The Wrath of Kahn” was better, and then the 2009 film came out). I think it’s still a very strong film; one filled with mystery and political intrigue, and one that rounds off the classic characters for one final adventure.
I always felt that this was a dark and intense film. Part of it is in the Gustav-Holst-inspired music score, which is wicked! There are also a lot of strong themes involved; I started wondering if this film was meant to mirror the end of the Cold War. It also treads upon some interesting thematic territory regarding revenge, forgiveness, and redemption. As such, the characters remain strong, and the acting is good. Writing can get a little quirky at some points, especially with some of the humor that goes around (which kinda offsets the otherwise serious tone of the movie).
Despite all this stuff, the film remains quite entertaining. Action and SFX do not disappoint (the opening subspace shockwave effect (which has been emulated in many movies since) is still one of my favorite SFX scenes ever!). A lot of other scenes are quite striking and dramatic, and pacing is brisk enough. The film is well-made with solid photography and a strong production value.
At the time this came out, I remember being impressed by a lot of other details too. Who would have thought that Klingon blood is pink?
One thing about this Blu-Ray; it’s a different cut than I remember. All home video versions I’ve seen beforehand included a scene where
[Show spoiler]the final assassin is unmasked (“It’s colonel West!”)
, but this scene has been cut from the BD. I also noticed that the 2-disc DVD had additional shots of the conspirators when their names are revealed, but this also does not exist on the BD. Bummer.
4.5/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4.5/5)
This Blu-Ray is cool. It is very decently sharp and clean, with probably the best color and contrast I’ve seen out of this film yet. Like some of the other Trek films, it does show some softness from DNR, making most faces look soft. I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as a movie like “Gladiator;” I’m still quite happy with it. Sound quality is awesome.
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4.5/5
“
Star Trek: Generations.”
A fan’s dream come true, Captain Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard join forces!
I have fond memories of the hype when this film first came out; at the time it seemed so slick and fresh.
I still find the film entertaining. It has its weak moments, to be sure, but it has many strong moments too. Action and SFX are cool (epic in some cases; it’s great to see the Enterprise D in action again,
[Show spoiler]and even greater to see it crash land! 
). The comedy is rather amusing. The film incorporates some interesting tie-ins from the series (most prominent of which being Data’s emotion chip).
The story’s a bit hokey, but I never really had a problem with it. In fact, I think it has some strong elements; it brings out some very insightful aspects of the characters as they reflect on their legacies. Once they actually reach the Nexus ribbon, they briefly touch upon a “Matrix”-esque theme about reality-vs-fantasy, and ultimately reveal that it’s better to live life at its fullest. There’s actually a very strong and invoking theme about mortality throughout this film.
Despite all that, the film has a pretty uneven pacing, with some sappy moments here and there.
The film is well-made with solid photography and a high production value. Acting is good all around (and Malcolm McDowell makes an excellent bad guy here
).
4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)
As before, this Blu-Ray looks really good save for a slight touch of DNR, and it sounds awesome.
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4.5/5
“
Star Trek: First Contact.”
What could be more thrilling than to bring the Borg into a Trek film? That in itself propels the entertainment value of this film very highly; the Borg have had a very interesting (and totally awesome) makeover in this film, and are as wicked as ever. The action and SFX in this film are very strong, and there’s hardly a dull moment. The opening space battle is also one of the best in the series!
The story for this is generally alright. I think they skimped over the time-travel aspect with a very flimsy premise (WTF are chronometric particles?
). But otherwise, it is a gripping story with plenty of awesome character moments. And of course, Alice Krige makes an excellent Borg queen.
The movie is solidly-filmed and has a high production value, of course! Music is good in this film. It’s really interesting to see certain things in this film too; it makes clever use of fish-eye lenses, and a lot of things (costumes, ship designs, etc) have been kicked up a notch.
4/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)
PQ seemed excellent in this film; DNR was not as noticeable as in other films. It’s a very sharp, clean, and mostly-natural-looking film.
PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5
“
Star Trek: Insurrection.”
At the time this came out, I remember it thrilled me. I think that was because the SFX were very impressive, and there was a bit of a gap between this and the last Trek film. That was all that mattered to me at the time.
By today’s standards, I gotta admit that the story’s rather weak. Heck, they totally ripped off one of the TNG episodes! On its own merits, it can stand well on its own, and it does have some interesting concepts here and there (this time around, I also felt they were shooting for a strong Hell-vs-Paradise theme). But it’s hardly original. Characters have their moments, especially as they all
[Show spoiler]grow younger, and Picard finds a girlfriend
, but are not nearly as strong as in the last couple of movies. Altogether, the film plays out like a two-hour episode, presenting very little to Trek lore.
On the plus side, the film still has some very cool action and SFX scenes (I love the nebula battle), and some amusing comedy. Acting is great. Photography is gorgeous in some scenes, and the production value is still quite high.
3.5/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 4/5)
Once again the PQ looks smashing except for some slight DNR, and the sound quality is cool.
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4.5/5
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It's just a little too long near the end.
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